Find a purpose, set goals and you'll live longer, Canadian study finds

Posted on June 11, 2014

It takes about 14 years for a child to go through grade school, hit puberty, and be at the cusp of an inescapable question: "What are you going to do with your life?"

And that's about how long a new Canadian study took to examine the ways that having a clear life purpose may help you live longer, no matter your age.

The study, published by Carleton University's Department of Psychology, looked at the life purpose of more than 6,000 participants over a 14-year period.

"Our findings point to the fact that finding a direction for life, and setting overarching goals for what you want to achieve, can help you actually live longer, regardless of when you find your purpose," lead researcher Dr. Patrick Hill said in a release. "So the earlier someone comes to a direction for life, the earlier these protective effects may be able to occur."

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Category(s):Aging & Geriatric Issues

Source material from National Post